Hong Kong 2024 - Mongkok

Mongkok, a district in Kowloon, is known for its shopping in the plethora of street stalls on streets like Women Street, Fa Yuen Street, Temple Street among others.  According to Wikipaedia, it has been pictured in films with its triad run bars, night clubs and massage parlours.  It has its own "Mongkok Culture" much revered by youth and is described as the busiest district in the world by the Guiness Book of Records.  When I was growing up, it was forbidden territory.  Since I have a luncheon date in the area, I decided to venture out to see what it's all about.  

Things have changed quite a bit now and from what I could see, it seemed quite safe for walking around. I was there midday and again after dinner. Of course I didn't delve into the depths of the area - walking on the long pedestrian bridge and the area near the MTR on Nathan Road was all I did so I can't say this with any authority.  It struck me as a vibrant area with lots of activities both day and night, and a lot of karaoke bars!  The traffic was astonishing especially near subway entrances.  The pedestrian bridge itself is quite impressive, linking two subway stations - Mongkok and Mongkok East stations.  It also connects to the huge MOKO mall, a modern shopping complex which includes a hotel.  So there is a full range of shopping possibilities in the area from street stalls to high-end shops.  Why not!

What you see below are just snapshots of the area from a few hours wandering around by myself.  If I have company, I would definitely revisit again deeper into the night on the next trip.

 
Mongkok MTR Station Crossing

The intersection of Mongkok Road and Women Street - day and night

Women street from the footbridge and at street level

  
One of many such intersections in the area  - mix of old and new buildings

And lots of construction activities especially near the Mongkok East station

The MOKO mall - the glitzy mall is quite a contrast to the rest of the area

Just outside the mall, the footbridge is the Sunday hangout for local nannies

The footbridge crosses quite a few intersections connecting two MTR stations - Mongkok and Mongkok East stations over an impressive 840 metres

The same section day and night - it seems there is even more traffic at night - looks like those buses were not going anywhere soon...

An artist's view of the same section

 Mini-bus alley - Day and night view

Section of Nathan Road as seen from the footbridge - Day and Night 

Mongkok station crossing - wonder if anyone keeps statistics on how many people cross here on a typical green light and how it compares to Shinjuku crossing in Tokyo...

A street singer singing old ballads provided a musical moment in the midst of the crowd scene

Stay tuned for my last post on Hong Kong coming up - Central District